Every year, thousands of Americans die from drowning. Unfortunately, a significant number of those deaths occur here in Orange County. In the vast majority of cases, drowning deaths are completely avoidable, and large numbers of people die just because they don’t know how to swim. When you sign your kids up for swimming lessons, you steeply increase their water safety and help them avoid fatal accidents and mishaps.

Drowning Deaths Nationwide

Every year roughly 3,500 U.S. adults, teenagers and younger children die from drowning at a swimming pool or other on-land location. (Another 300-plus drown in a boating-related mishap.) Fully 20 percent of all victims are children under the age of 15. In addition, for every child in this broad age group who drowns, five more manage to survive after receiving some sort of emergency care. However, survival doesn’t equate with a lack of serious harm. A child who lives through a severe drowning episode can sustain permanent brain damage that leads to issues such as learning disabilities, memory malfunctions or even loss of the ability to think and/or move.

Drowning Deaths in Orange County

Someone dies from drowning in Orange County roughly every nine days. (The actual figure can vary substantially from year to year.) In the county and California as a whole, drowning-related incidents are the single most common cause of death among children between the ages of one and four. They also rank as the fifth most common cause of death for all teens and children age 17 or younger. Most drowning fatalities occur in a community or private swimming pool, although a smaller number of people also drown in hot tubs and bathtubs. The peak season for drowning-related deaths is summer, when children and adults head for the water in large numbers.

The Role of an Inability to Swim

The federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report that an inability to swim is the single largest drowning risk factor for both adults and children. Unfortunately, for people of all ages, a lack of swimming ability is fairly common. In fact, more than a third of all adults can’t swim well enough to make it across the length of a standard-sized pool.

The Life-Saving Benefits of Kids’ Swimming Lessons

When your child learns how to swim, the biggest risk for drowning is effectively eliminated. Crucially, research show that the greatest benefits of swimming lessons occur in children between the ages of one and four, who have an unusually high chance of drowning. However, children of any age will gain essential skill and confidence from participation in formal lessons taught by knowledgeable, experienced instructors.

You may think that your child is too young for formal swimming lessons. However, even very young children can adapt to being in the water and taking basic instruction from a qualified teacher. The best facilities reduce the potential shock and disorientation of lessons for young children by allowing you to directly accompany them in the pool.

Important Considerations

Some parents attempt to protect their young children in the water by providing them with water wings, inner tubes or other types of flotation devices. However, these devices don’t actually qualify as true flotation supports, and they can create a dangerously false sense of security, especially for a child who hasn’t learned the basic mechanics of swimming. Even after your child learns how to swim, a number of other basic steps will greatly enhance the safety of a trip to the pool or ocean. Examples of these steps include providing adequate adult supervision at all times and keeping pools fenced off to prevent unsupervised use.

Serving Tustin and Orange County

At Blue Buoy Family Swim School, we provide the best instruction, the best facilities, and the most effective swimming lessons to ensure the children of Orange County will be as safe as possible in the water.